


Supercut of Us

by Darlingheart



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darlingheart/pseuds/Darlingheart
Summary: Bellamy's relationship is over and he has no one. Except somehow he's in Clarke's life now, and he has her. As friends of course. Until they’re not.





	Supercut of Us

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back bitches. Who knew I still cared about these two idiots, not me that is for sure. To be honest, I've checked out of the show (fool me once and all that) but there's something about Clarke and Bellamy that just won't quit.
> 
> Bellamy and Echo were a couple in this story, they're not now and they're never together in this but they were and there are references to their previous relationship. So if you don't like that this is your warning to hit that back button.
> 
> Title from Lorde

**One hour after | Clarke’s apartment, Brooklyn**

Clarke throws her keys onto the side table as she enters her apartment. It’s always a juggling act to get inside, especially in winter. Taking off her scarf, balancing her bag, taking off her headphones, opening the door. She always feels a little bit like a hero when she finally gets inside.

She knows it’s strange but her hallway always feels like a reward for getting through the day - and door. It’s small and narrow with a door to the left leading to her bedroom, a door to the right leading to the bathroom and a door ahead of her leading to the living room and kitchen. It’s nothing special, but it’s home.

She leans on the wall and kicks off her shoes, dumping her bag with a thud.

“O?”

A male voice calls out. Clarke’s first thought is panic, she lives alone there should be no one here. But as she’s grasping for her phone something pricks at her consciousness, she knows that voice.

“Who’s there? I’m calling the cops!”

“Clarke?” The voice croaks.

With her finger still hovering over the call button for 911 she creeps forward down the corridor towards the voice.

“Bellamy?”

It is him. She hasn’t seen him for years, five maybe six. She searches in her memory trying to recall the last time she saw him.

“What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?”

She asks, leaning against the doorway, not quite trusting what’s happening. He’s sitting on her couch, his broad frame curled in on himself, his head in his hands.

“I was looking for my sister.” He says turning his head to look up at her.

There’s a beard she doesn’t remember, but other than that it definitely looks like Bellamy Blake.

It looks like him but she can’t quite believe it is, because the Bellamy she knew – the Bellamy she was halfway to being friends with – would know that his sister didn’t live there anymore. Hadn’t lived there for years.

“She doesn’t live here anymore. She moved out about three years ago.”

“Oh, right.”

The news doesn’t seem to shock him or if it does he doesn’t show it. He just keeps sitting on her couch staring at the floor.

“Bellamy, are you ok?”

“Echo and I broke up, and I wanted to see my sister. But she’s not here.” His voice cracks on the last word.

Clarke remembers now, the last time she saw him. It was about five years ago and she was out at a bar with Octavia. She’d just broken up with Lexa and was tentatively finding her way back to the group. Bellamy had been there. So had Raven. But they hadn’t come over to her and Octavia, they’d stayed with their friends. And when a girl called Echo had come over and sat close to Bellamy Octavia had picked up her drink and downed it, muttering that she wouldn’t watch that and left. Clarke had followed and, unusually, Bellamy hadn’t. That was the last time she’d seen him.

Clarke didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t friends with Bellamy, but she couldn’t cope with seeing someone so sad. She’d had tough breakups in her time, she knew how it felt.

“Bellamy,” she says softly, moving towards him like he’s a wounded animal.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” He replies, standing up decisively.

Clarke can hear in his voice, see in the dampness around his eyes that that’s not true but she doesn’t press it.

“If my sister comes by...”

Clarke doesn’t have the heart to tell him how unlikely that is. That she hasn’t spoken to Octavia in years.

“Why don’t you try and call her?”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried that?” He snaps. The Bellamy of old flickering through for a few seconds.

“Sorry, I just, sorry.” The fire goes quickly and he scrubs his face with his hand.

“She moved out a couple of years ago. I have an address but don’t know if it’s current.” Clarke says grabbing a piece of paper from her pad and scribbling the details down from her phone.

She holds out the paper to him.

“Thanks,” He takes it and stuffs it in his pocket without looking at her.

He’s at the front door, holding it open about to walk outside when he speaks again.

“I know you probably think I deserve this for choosing Echo over my sister, over everyone. But I’m not the bad guy everyone thinks I am.” He says, looking at her briefly over his shoulder.

He’s gone and out the door before Clarke has a chance to respond.

She looks around her empty apartment and wonders what on earth just happened.

**One month after |The Grange Bar, Midtown**

Clarke doesn’t go to Midtown. Why would she, she’s not a banker or a tourist but she’s here tonight at a bar that’s trying to be cool and missing the mark wildly. It doesn’t seem to matter though – the place is still full. Plus the bartender knows how to mix a strong gin Martini, which is what she needs before dinner with her mother.

Clarke’s tucked in a corner at the end of the bar when she feels someone stand next to her. It’s Bellamy. She hadn’t noticed him when she arrived, she was too focused on the bar and trying not to gain the attention of any of the bridge and tunnel crowd.

She looks at him now though. He’s obviously been here a while, if the glassy look in his eyes and the skewed tie is anything to go by.

“Clarke.”

“Bellamy. I didn’t know you worked around here.”

“I don’t. I had a work lunch thing and some friends of mine from college were around so.” He trails off as he waves over to a group of guys. She thinks she might recognise one or two of them from before. But she says nothing to that effect.

“I’m just getting some Dutch courage before meeting my mom.” Clarke says to fill the silence.

Bellamy is staring at her in an intense way that doesn’t scare her but does make her twitchy, it’s like he’s trying to figure her out.

“I’m sorry, about the other week. I shouldn’t have let myself into your place.”

“I should’ve changed the locks when Octavia left.” Clarke shrugs with a half smile, “I have now.”

“Good. That was going to be my next line.”

She laughs and likes that it draws a smile out of him. It doesn’t last though.

“I called my sister.”

“I’m glad.” Clarke says sincerely.

“Yeah. Well.” He says bitterly before letting the sentence fall.

“How is she?” She asks.

“She’s Octavia.” He rubs the back of his neck, “I should get back but I’m sorry, again. Thanks for not calling the cops, I’m not sure that would’ve gone well for me. And I didn’t need to add that to the shit show that is my life.”

Clarke doesn’t know what to say, they’re not friends. They were almost there when he met his ex but then nothing and Clarke didn’t miss him. You can’t miss what you never had. But she has thought about him this last month, she wants him to be ok.

“Do you want another?” He asks, looking down at her empty glass.

She’s not sure what she was about to say before the giant clock caught her attention, she’s about one set of slow tourists away from being late to meet her mother.

“Shit, I’m late. Thank for the drink offer but I should go.” She stands and grabs her purse and jacket.

He stands to let her move past, “I should get back to my friends. Bye Clarke.”

“Bye Bellamy. Take care.” She says it to his retreating form, hoping he’s heard her. Hoping he does.

**Three months after | Arcadia, Upstate New York**

The thing about living close to home is that you can make a multitude of excuses to not go back and no one ever really pulls you up on it. But when they finally demand your presence, you have to go.

Which is how Clarke finds herself back in her hometown, in the sprawling gardens of her childhood best friend’s home celebrating his engagement.

It’s not that she didn’t want to celebrate Wells. She loves him and his girlfriend Maya. She just doesn’t love Arcadia. It’s like all small towns everywhere, obsessed with its own self-importance and convinced that everyone who leaves has made a terrible mistake.

Clarke is two glasses of champagne in when she sees him. And at first she thinks it must be more, that she must be hallucinating, because there is no reason for Bellamy to be in Arcadia, let alone at the Jaha mansion. But no matter how much she shakes her head or blinks, there he is.

She wants to ignore him but she can’t. Her curiosity gets the better of her. As she makes her way over to him, her pale blue dress fluttering around her in the late afternoon breeze he looks up and sees her.

The last few months have not been kind to him she thinks uncharitably. The beard is patchier than before, his hair is wild and curly and sticking up all over the place. He’s still handsome of course, but his grey suit looks slightly too big, like he hadn’t realised he’d lost weight. He looks forlorn she thinks, alone and out of place. As she gets close to him she can see he looks tired, his freckles standing out on his too pale skin.

“Clarke.” He nods when she reaches him, accepting the extra glass of champagne she swiped as she made her way over, “wondered if I might see you here.”

“That makes one of us.”

“I work with Maya.” He says simply.

Clarke remembers now that Maya is a Professor of Art History at NYU and that the Bellamy she used to know did something around history, she’d thought he was studying but six years is a long time.

“Oh. I didn’t know.” She says, inwardly cursing herself for saying something so stupid and obvious.

“Why would you?” Bellamy replies without heat.

“I grew up with Wells.” Clarke tells him, changing the subject lightly. She pulls on his arm and turns him so they’re facing the back of the Jaha mansion.

“See that house there?” She asks pointing to the rooftop on the next plot, barely visible at this distance.

“Yeah.”

“That was my childhood home.”

Bellamy whistles, low.

“I know right.” Clarke rolls her eyes, “I’m fancy.”

Bellamy laughs but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Wells was literally the boy next door. Half the guests here keep expecting me to breakdown in tears.” Clarke continues lightly.

“And are you going to?”

“Over Wells, no.” Clarke laughs, “He was my first kiss and we both agreed that once was more than enough.”

Bellamy laughs again, more than before but his heart still isn’t in it.

They’re quiet for a bit. Looking out onto the party. Maya and Wells spot them and wave but don’t make it over before they’re waylaid by one of Maya’s relatives.

Clarke glances up at Bellamy but instantly looks away, his emotions are raw on his face and she feels like she’s intruding.

“Look, I know we’re not friends, but are you ok?” She asks bluntly, turning to face him.

When he doesn’t say anything she adds, “because no offence but you look like shit.”

The bark of genuine laughter that comes from Bellamy seems to take them both by surprise.

“Say what you see Griffin. Jeez, I forgot you don’t pull your punches.”

Clarke shrugs, but offers him a little grin of camaraderie.

Bellamy takes a large swig of his champagne, emptying half the glass.

“I never thought I’d be one of those guys, you know. One of those guys that gets lost in a relationship but I did.”

Clarke sips her own drink, knowing he doesn’t actually want her input right now.

“I knew my sister didn’t like Echo. I knew that she thought she wasn’t the right fit for me but, I don’t know if you remember, but Octavia and I weren’t exactly seeing eye to eye back then.”

“I remember.”

Clarke does. She remembers the screaming fights, the arguments about choices and responsibility. The cold shoulders and silences that felt like weapons.

“I didn’t think she was jealous exactly but I thought...” Bellamy scrubs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know what I thought, but I know I didn’t care. I felt like Echo got me. I’d had girlfriends and crushes before but the timing was always off and then here was this gorgeous woman who I connected with.”

“And you lost yourself with her?” Clarke guesses.

“You could say that.”

“I know what that’s like.” She admits.

“Alexa or something?” He says after a beat

“Lexa.” Clarke answers, surprised that Bellamy remembers.

It had been just as Bellamy and Clarke we’re forming a friendship outside of their relationship to Octavia when she’d met Lexa. They’d only been together a few months but when they’d split up and Clarke had returned to the group things had already changed.

“I knew it was something like that.” He says more to himself.

“I’m surprised you remember.” Clarke admits.

“Yeah, well ironically enough I remember because at the time I thought to myself I’d never do what you did.” He smiles bitterly.

Hearing him say that doesn’t hurt the way it would’ve once, but it still stings a little.

“We all make mistakes Bellamy. You can’t beat yourself up for being in love.”

“Tell that to my sister.” He mutters.

Clarke ignores that.

“Break ups are tough, don’t be so hard on yourself.” She says.

“It’s been months.”

“It takes time to untangle a life together.”

“What are you a fortune cookie?” He snarks.

“Deflecting emotion with comedy or anger. You really are a Blake.” Clarke fires back. He tilts his head to look at her and raises a brow.

“I lived with your sister for four years Bellamy. You don’t scare me.”

He smiles softly and Clarke is taken aback at the way his face changes, he looks instantly younger. Less weary. But it doesn’t last.

“I have nothing and no one.” He says so quietly she thinks she wasn’t meant to hear.

“So you start again. You won’t be the first or the last. Plus you have people. Look,” she gestures at Wells and Maya who are making their way towards them. “They’re people, good people, and they wouldn’t have invited you if they didn’t want you around. Trust me.”

They’re saved from having to say anything else by Maya and Wells joining them.

“I didn’t know you two knew each other!” Wells exclaims.

“I told you. Do you never listen?” Maya laughs fondly.

“I do listen, I just forget!”

Bellamy and Clarke share a fond look at Maya and Wells. A look Clarke hopes he knows means - you have people. You’re not alone.

**Six months after | Sanctum, Greenwich Village**

“And then I said to him, that if he didn’t like my numbers he could fire me. Which of course I knew he wouldn’t because I’m their top guy. You know?”

Clarke nods and smiles politely because it seemed like that was required.

“That’s the thing about these middle management types,” Riley continues.

Clarke concentrates on drinking her coffee and trying not to look too bored while she waits for her eggs to arrive.

As Riley continues to tell her how amazing he is at his job and how everyone else is an asshole, she refrains from pointing out that it sounded like he was the asshole. Instead she thinks about her mother, who was the reason she was here. She’d caught Clarke at a weak moment, and so here she was on a brunch date with this Riley guy because her mom knew his parents and they’re “good people” according to Abby.

Good people who raised an asshole, Clarke thought.

“Like, not all men. You know?” Riley says, this time clearly expecting a response, which unfortunately Clarke cannot provide because she hasn’t been listening.

Thankfully, she’s saved by the waitress dropping off their food.

As Clarke looks up to thank their server, a familiar face across the restaurant catches her eye. Sitting across from her, opposite a blonde woman with long hair, is Bellamy. Looking a thousand times better than when she’d last seen him.

The beard is gone, his hair is still wild and curly but in a way that seems intentional. But more than that, she can see from across the room that he has the sparkle in his eye back. She isn’t surprised that more than a few heads are turning in the direction of his table. In his black Henley, smirking at the girl sitting with him, he looks like an advert for the kind of guys your mother warns you against.

He catches Clarke eye and lifts his juice in acknowledgment. It’s a move that would have looked douchey on someone like Riley but just works on Bellamy. He doesn’t look surprised to see her and she smiles back softly.

“The thing is, I like her in theory, I do. But like, should we really be focusing on big business right now, like going after this establishment is such a cliché and like, we’re not really the problem.” Riley is saying.

Clarke debates the merits of stabbing him with her butter knife and pleading temporary insanity but instead smiles cooly and says, “my mother always told me never to discuss politics on a date.” She adds a little laugh at the end, which she thinks is clearly false but Riley doesn’t seem to notice.

“Haha, yeah. Mine too, parents are so sensitive. Like when I told my dad that I wanted to go into sales and not law he was so delicate, but now I’m making bank, he can’t say shit.”

“Mmmm hmmm.”

“How are your eggs? This place is meant to be great but I don’t love this protein bowl, like I lift you know. I need real portions.”

Clarke briefly thinks she wouldn’t even need to plead temporary insanity, she could just recap this conversation and no judge in the land would convict.

“So what did you say your plans were for the summer?” Clarke asks knowing that he hasn’t said and that it will definitely take them to the end of brunch.

“I’ll do some time in Southampton obviously.”

“Obviously.” Clarke replies, sarcasm dripping off the word. Sarcasm he doesn’t notice.

“I mean, it’s not what it used to be you know but a house on the beach is a house on the beach-”

As Riley continues talking “somewhere in Europe, Ibiza maybe or Mykonos” Clarke tunes him out and eats her eggs, which are the ideal size. She can’t help but glance over to Bellamy who seems to be doing more listening than talking to his date.

Clarke feels irrationally proud that he looks so happy and Bellamy-like again. She knows it’s got nothing to do with her, but still, she’s happy for him.

Riley is still talking about Europe when they finish their brunch and, after declining another coffee. Clarke reaches for her purse.

“I’ve got this.” Riley tells her, pulling the cheque towards him.

“No really, let’s split it.” Clarke argues.

“You can pay for the next one.”

“Honestly let’s just go halves.”

“You can get the drinks, or dinner next.”

Riley grins suggestively and Clarke once again thinks a jail term for murder might not be so bad in comparison to another date with Riley.

“I, uhhh.” Clarke stalls.

“So, shall we go on for a drink somewhere now?” Riley asks, obliviously.

“Riley, I think we’re better as friends.” Clarke replies quickly dropping her card on top of his.

“What?”

At his blank look she continues, “Just we didn’t have that much in common you know?”

“Oh my god, you thought I was interested in you. This was a pity date.” He sneers, his mood turning instantly.

The waitress comes over to take payment and quickly notices the mood, throwing Clarke a small smile of support.

“Since you’re so in to your independence I assume you’ll get this.” Riley snaps, standing and pushing his chair back with such force that it wobbles and almost tips before loudly falling back on all four legs, causing everyone to look over. Clarke keeps her eyes determinedly on the table.

“I should’ve known you’d be an ice queen who wasn’t up for a laugh.” He spits, “Fucking Griffin’s, think they’re better than everyone.”

She bites her lip as she refrains from pointing out that she is up for a laugh just not with a dude-bro like him.

Instead she picks up her card and hands it to the server, “all on here please.”

She fixes Riley with a look as she waits for the server to hand her card back.

“Stuck up princess.” He grits out as he leaves.

“You ok?” The server asks.

“Yeah.” Clarke laughs awkwardly, “I’m fine.”

“You handled that better than I would’ve.” The server tells Clarke.

“Well you never know when it will turn.” Clarke shrugs.

“Right.” The server gives Clarke a smile of understanding. “Stay here. Coffee coming up. On me.”

Clarke knows before Bellamy even stands from his table that he’d come over.

“You should get better taste in men Griffin.” He says as he sits opposite her.

Clarke lets out a watery laugh, that lands more like a sigh.

“You ok?” Bellamy asks softly.

“Yeah.”

He fixes her with a look, waiting until she looks back at him.

“Honestly Bellamy, I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Crappy start to a Saturday morning but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Never doubted you.” He smiles at her.

“Go back to your date.” Clarke says, looking over to the blonde girl who is very pointedly not looking at them.

“You can come and sit with us. We’ve finished our food.”

“Bellamy, I am not third wheeling your date.” Clarke says sternly. “Go.”

“Jeez, remind me never to be nice to you again.”

Clarke rolls her eyes but feels lighter at his teasing.

“Here. I did it to go, just in case you want to leave. But you can sit for as long as you need.” The waitress says coming back over and handing Clarke her coffee.

“This is perfect, thank you.”

“Sure thing.” The waitress replies smiling at Clarke and Bellamy, her eyes lingering on Bellamy just a beat too long, before she turns back to her other tables.

Clarke hides her smile in her coffee.

“Bellamy, go. I’m fine from here I promise. I’m just going to head home.”

“Will you at least get a cab. That dude might be waiting.”

“He won’t be.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’re such a fucking mother hen. If I book a car will you please go back to the hot blonde you’re with.”

“Yes.” He waits a beat and adds, “how do you know she’s hot.”

“I took a guess. Am I right?”

He smirks in response.

Clarke rolls her eyes and waves her hand at him to shoo him away.

“You sure you’re good.” He asks softly as he stands.

“Car booked. Group chat open for me to complain. Drinks planned for later. I’m good Bellamy, I promise.”

He taps the table softly and nods. Then walks back over to his date.

Clarke watches as he touches her shoulder, she watches as the blonde looks up at him a sympathetic smile in place.

Clarke leaves a couple of bills on the table for the server and holds her coffee up in thanks as she stands to leave.

She turns to say bye to Bellamy but he’s grinning at something the blonde is saying and she leaves them to it.

**Seven months after | Basketball court, Brooklyn**

Clarke always thinks she prefers the hot to cold. Whenever anyone plays that would you rather be too hot or too cold game she always says too hot. She hates being cold.

As Clarke walks to meet Wells she decides she is a delusion liar. She hates being hot. She would give anything to be cold. The temperature has been over 90 for the last month and the forecast said it’s going to push 105 this week which, she thinks, is frankly obnoxious.

Clarke walks past two girls who look unbothered and gorgeous in their cut off shorts and vests, while she feels like a human popcicle in her floral tea-dress.

She will never answer too hot to would you rather again.

Wells is lucky she loves him and that his basketball game is only a few blocks from her house. There aren’t many people she’d trek out in the midday sun for.

She hears the sound of the guys before she gets to the court. The familiar thwack of the ball on the concrete coupled with the shouting and name-calling which soundtracks a game like this.

Despite not having a single athletic bone in her body, Clarke loves watching sport. So she doesn’t mind that the game is on-going, instead she finds a spot in the shade pulls her hair off her neck and watches.

She sees Wells instantly. And tries to remember if he told her any of the other guys he was playing with or if it was just a free-for-all.

She’s scanning the guys when she sees Bellamy. He’s in long black shorts and black sneakers and that’s it. From her vantage point she can’t make out much, but she can see that he has some well-defined abs. She stands up straighter and lets her hair fall back down almost unconsciously.

She carries on watching and when Bellamy elbows Wells to get the ball she calls out.

“Foul! Oh, come on ref!”

Both Bellamy and Wells turn to look over.

“Hey Clarke!” Wells waves.

“There’s no ref, Griffin.” Bellamy rolls his eyes.

“Well I call foul.” She grins.

“No blood no foul.”

Clarke knows that’s the rule, she just wanted to be annoying.

“Might be bleeding internally,” she grins.

Even from a distance she can see Bellamy sigh. He plants his hands on his hips clearly gearing up to argue.

“Blake! You playing?” Someone shouts from across the court as the ball is thrown behind Bellamy.

It takes another fifteen minutes and Clarke is very glad she brought her water with her. But eventually they wrap up. Neither Wells nor Bellamy won but they don’t seem to be annoyed. There’s a lot of communal backslapping going on.

Some of the guys stay on the court, which Clarke thinks is madness in this heat but they don’t ask her what she thinks.

Wells scoops his bag from the side of the court and makes his way over to her.

“Hey, thanks for waiting. Twenty-one is a bitch.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Clarke grins.

“I don’t know why I agree to it. I’m always convinced it will be quick and it never is.” Wells is saying, reaching in his bag for his water.

“How’s that internal bleeding Jaha?” Bellamy says coming over to Clarke and Wells.

Clarke laughs and turns to smirk at Bellamy.

He’s pulling on a shirt and Clarke gets a quick glimpse of his tanned, toned, stomach before his white tee covers them.

“I think I’m good.” Wells laughs pulling up his t-shirt and patting his stomach.

“Jeez, when did you get ripped?” Clarke asks Wells.

“You know I go to the gym.” He shrugs.

“Yeah but I thought that was something you just said when you didn’t want to hang out.” Clarke laughs, she adds, “you’re a lawyer, aren’t you meant to be all fat from feeding on the souls of lesser mortals.”

Bellamy snorts a laugh but turns it quickly into a cough when Wells looks at him.

“Remind me why I’m still friends with you.” Wells grumbles.

“Because you can’t get rid of me.” Clarke shrugs, “Or because no one else will give up their Saturday to come and look at boring wedding stuff with you.”

“Best friends forever.” Wells grins.

“I wondered why you were here. Didn’t strike me as a streetball fan, despite your impressive grasp of the rules.” Bellamy adds sarcastically.

“Maya’s away and she doesn’t trust Wells to do wedding stuff without her.”

“That is not true. She just knows you’ve got a good eye for this stuff and we wanted to include you.”

“Potato, Po-tah-to.” Clarke waves.

“I was thinking we’d get some food near my place so I can change and then we head off.” Wells is saying, “Bellamy do you-“

The question is cut off by Wells’ phone ringing.

“Shit. It’s work.” He says glancing at the screen, “I’ve got to get this. Neither of you move.”

Wells walks off to take the call and Clarke sits back on a bench in the shade she’d been watching the game from.

“He’s going to ask if you want to get lunch.” Clarke tells Bellamy, “but be warned you will get roped into wedding planning.”

“No such thing as a free lunch, huh.”

Clarke laughs, “not at the moment.”

“But you should come if you want.” She adds.

“I’ve got plans but thanks.”

“Another date with the hot blonde?” Clarke asks.

“Bree. And no.”

Clarke looks up at Bellamy and pats the bench next to her.

“It just fizzled after a couple of dates.” He tells her as he sits.

“That’s normal.”

“Is it? I hate this modern dating crap.”

“Alright grandpa.” Clarke laughs.

“You know what I mean. It’s like the rules changed when I was in a relationship and now everyone is multi-dating and on apps. It’s a lot.”

“Oh yeah, it sucks.” Clarke agrees, “but the ratio of men to women in this city is heavily in your favour. Plus you’re attractive, have a good job and as far as I know don’t collect human skins.”

Bellamy laughs, “that’s your criteria, looks, job, must not collect human skins.”

“I think those are acceptable criteria.” Clarke grins.

“You can definitely raise your bar.” He laughs, “although that now explains your brunch date.”

“That was a set up.” She huffs, pulling her hair off her neck again, “And against my better judgement I might add.”

“Clearly.”

“If I’d thought it was actually going to be good I’d have suggested drinks you know. Then you’ve got options. Brunch is the low risk option.” She tells him, there’s a pause before she adds “usually.”

“Yeah definitely trust your gut next time. That guy was a jerk.”

“I am definitely not taking dating advice from the guy who just told me he does not know how to date.”

“Not what I said.” He huffs, “just, like, how hard can it be to meet someone naturally. Like in a bar or at work.”

“Maya’s cute but you’d break Wells’ heart.” Clarke deadpans.

“You’re such a help Griffin, truly.” He frowns at her.

“I live to serve.” She replies dryly.

“So what are your plans or do you just have fake ones?”

“Nah, real plans. I try and fill my weekends when normal people are off because otherwise I go stir crazy in the summer.”

“I am not feeling sorry for you because you get the whole summer off. Nice try.”

“You’d be amazed at how boring your own company can be. I’m beginning to see why I stayed in a shitty relationship for so long.”

She can feel his mood sour and wants to press him on that but knows it’s not her place, and certainly not here.

“I’m a freelance designer who works from home. Trust me, I understand the importance of filling your days so you don’t start talking to your plants.” She says lightly.

It has the required effect and makes him smile. A small win as far as Clarke is concerned.

“Blake, you ready?” A familiar looking guy calls as he walks over to them, swinging his backpack over his shoulder and holding a basketball under his arm.

He’s clearly been playing with them but that’s not why he seems familiar to Clarke. It’s on the tip of her tongue she just can’t place him.

“Sure.” Bellamy calls out.

“Clarke, you remember Miller?” Bellamy says standing up.

And suddenly she remembers him, he was one of Bellamy and Octavia’s friends. He stayed around for a bit after Bellamy’s ex came on the scene trying to mediate with Octavia but Clarke didn’t see much of him.

“Miller, Clarke.”

“Hey.” Miller nods as he reaches them.

“Hi.” Clarke smiles up at them, “long time.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“Do you want us to wait with you?” Bellamy asks motioning over to where Wells is having an animated conversation.

“Nah, you’re good. Who knows how long that will take.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go enjoy your fake plans!” Clarke grins.

“Enjoy talking to your plants.” Bellamy shoots back.

Miller looks between them, confused.

“Nice to see you again Miller.”

“Yeah, you too.” He replies.

Miller hands the ball of to Bellamy and nudges him as they walk away.

“Bye Bellamy.” Clarke trills after them.

She laughs when he waves behind his back without even looking at her.

**Seven and a half months after | Grounders, Brooklyn**

In Clarke’s ideal world the people that hired you to do a job based on your expertise would trust that you know what you’re doing and leave you to it. Sadly, after her many years of working life she has come to the realisation that that is not the case and the good clients are few and far between.

She knows realistically that it’s not always the fault of the client, but she doesn’t care today. She is in a particularly foul mood anyway. The heat is getting to her and she’s almost, almost, regretting not taking up her mom’s offer to get out of the city. Summer in New York is the worst.

Sometimes when she’s having a particularly frustrating work day, Clarke takes her work on the road. Or at the very least to the local coffee shop. There’s a cute barista she has a mild flirtation with, the coffee is good, and they do this cinnamon bun she’d marry if that was a thing.

But today even Grounders can’t shake her out of her mood. The call with the client has really bugged her and she’s staring at her laptop with enough force to kill.

“What did it do to you?”

Clarke looks up with an icy smile ready to tell whoever is interrupting her to just get lost.

“Bellamy!”

“Am I interrupting?”

“Yes,” Clarke says seriously, waiting a beat before breaking into a smile and adding, “but a welcome one.” She nods to the seat opposite her.

“I have to tell you, that look you gave me when I came over was positively murderous.”

“That’s because I didn’t know you were you.”

“Thanks I think.” Bellamy laughs.

“It’s not you. I am having a day.” She makes a point of clearly annunciation a day.

“Wanna talk about it? I’ve got time.”

“Ha, course you have you’re on holidays. But no, I’m good. It’s just work stuff. It’s dull.”

“Try me. I’m a surprisingly good listener.”

Clarke frowns, she never really talks about work with anyone, except a few previous colleagues. None of her friends are in the industry so they don’t really get her day-to-day. She tried explaining it to Wells once, and while he was genuinely interested she could tell he could not understand why a font-size was worth such an argument.

“I’ve got my coffee, so at least I won’t fall asleep.” He adds with a smile when she doesn’t say anything.

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He grins at her and she closes the lid of her laptop.

“So, I’m working on this client. It’s a beauty brand. I’ve done some beauty stuff before, so like, I know what I’m talking about. And supposedly that’s why they hired me.”

Clarke explains her frustrations and Bellamy listens patiently only interjecting if he has a question or wants clarification on something.

Clarke realises she’s been talking at him non stop when she goes to take a sip of her coffee and realises not only is it empty but the mug is cold to the touch.

“My god Bellamy, I’ve just ranted at you for like twenty minutes.”

“It’s all good,” he smiles, “it was interesting.”

Clarke raises her eyebrow at him questioningly.

“It was. Honestly. It’s so different from academia, but also kind of the same you know.”

“In what way?”

“People suck regardless.”

Clarke huffs out a laugh, “I’ll tell Maya you said that.”

“Funny.” He says dryly.

“I guess I spent so long in pre-med that it kind of skewed my perspective. If it’s not actual life and death, it’s not considered important.” Clarke says thoughtfully.

“I knew I was right about pre-med.” Bellamy says quietly, more to himself than anything.

“Huh?”

“When you said you were a freelance designer I thought I’d gone mad. I was sure you were planning on being a doctor when I knew you.”

“Oh yeah, I guess I was. Wow, that seems like a million lifetimes ago.”

“Tell me about it.” Bellamy sighs.

“How are you doing? With everything?”

“You mean getting my heartbroken?” He asks wryly.

“If that’s what you wanna call it.” Clarke shrugs.

“Do you want another coffee?” Bellamy asks, not so subtly stalling for time.

“I’m coffee-d out, but I’ll take an ice tea.”

Bellamy nods then stands but pauses turning back to face her.

“Am I stopping you from working?” He asks genuinely.

“Nope. I am done for the day.” Clarke says before adding with a grin, “Anything I do now will just be out of spite, which is not the light and easy spirit the brand are after.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely. Why?”

“Do you fancy a change of scenery?”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“We could get some air, go for a bit of a walk.”

She stops packing her bag and stares at him.

“Bellamy, it’s like a thousand degrees outside. Are you insane?”

He rolls his eyes and adds, “The walk leads to a bar.”

“Hmmm.” Clarke huffs, but she keeps packing her bag, “lead the way then.”

He hides his smile as they head outside.

“This heat is the fucking worst.” Clarke grumbles, swinging her bag on her shoulder and pulling her hair up into a messy bun.

“It’s the air conditioning, it messes with your brain.”

“If you tell me to get rid of air conditioning I will be forced to murder you.”

“Charming.”

“How are you not dying?” Clarke whines as they walk down the block.

“Maybe I’m just cooler than you are.”

“Yeah, no, definitely not.”

He puts his hand over his heart in a wounded motion but can’t hide his grin.

Clarke rolls her eyes and asks, “I know you’ve got loads of time off but what are you doing this side of the bridge? I thought you were in West Village?”

Clarke glances at him just in time to see the grimace flit across his face.

“We were.”

“Oh.”

“I’m not far from here now actually.”

“Hence the bar.”

“Hence the bar. And the coffee shop. I didn’t know it was one of your spots though.”

“What? You would’ve avoided it if you had.” Clarke teases.

“Yeah, definitely.” He replies dry.

“I’ve never actually lived with a partner but I remember when Lexa and I broke up there were loads of places I felt like I couldn’t go to.”

“That’s kind of why I moved here. It’s got nothing to do with me and Echo. Plus I thought my sister was nearby.”

“Right.” Clarke says, letting it hang for a beat, “you said you spoke to her.”

“Yeah. I finally managed to track her down. Did you know she’s out in Portland now?”

“What!” Clarke exclaims stopping dead on the sidewalk, “No. I had no clue.”

Bellamy frowns at her but continues, “Right. Miller’s new partner Jackson,”

“I know Jackson.” Clarke interrupts.

“Yeah so he’s still in touch with O and he told me.”

“I didn’t know he was dating Miller, that’s cool.”

“Yeah, it’s very early days but they seem happy.”

They’re walking again so Bellamy very pointedly doesn’t look at Clarke when he asks, “Clarke, what happened with you and my sister? You used to be so close.”

“Honestly. Nothing.”

“You didn’t know she was in Portland.”

“I know. But it’s not some big thing. We just kind of drifted. When you two fell out she was so angry all the time. But then she met this guy, Lincoln, and seemed happier again, like the old Octavia.”

Bellamy smiles softly, and Clarke continues.

“But they broke up, I don’t know why. And she just retreated. Started hanging out with new friends including Jackson, going out all the time and we were just in different places. There was no big fall out. No massive row. Our lease was coming to an end and she said she wanted out. I wanted to stay and so did. She moved out, in with Jackson and our friend Niylah. I saw them for a bit and then it just,” Clarke pauses searching for the right word, “fizzled I guess.”

“I should’ve been there.” Bellamy says softly.

They’re at the park by the Hudson now. They creep round the tourists and the mom’s with buggies, and secure a space to sit.

“It wouldn’t have mattered. Roommates grow apart. It’s sad but not the end of the world.”

“Still,” he says softly.

“You’re not a bad guy Bellamy.”

They’re sitting side by side and he turns his head to look at her. His eyes are hidden behind his sunglasses but she knows he’s listening.

“When you came by my place at the start of the year you said you knew everyone thought you were the bad guy.”

He frowns at the memory.

“I don’t. I never did. You fell in love and you got selfish, who hasn’t.” She shrugs. “That doesn’t make you a bad guy.”

“I ditched everyone. I ditched my sister.”

“Maybe you needed to.” Clarke offers.

“Huh?”

“Maybe you needed to put yourself first for a change. I know you had to be big brother, provider, parental-proxy, when you guys were growing up.”

Bellamy opens his mouth to interrupt, but Clarke holds a hand up to stop him.

“And I’m not saying that a bad thing. But it is hard, it had to be. So maybe it was ok to want to step back from that. You probably didn’t need to go as far as you did, but love makes us crazy. Right?”

Bellamy is silent for a long time and Clarke worries she’s overstepped this tentative line of friendship that they’ve created for themselves.

She’s about to apologise when he speaks.

“I knew Echo for a while before we started dating. She had some friends in common with O, but I didn’t really notice her. Then she became friends with Raven and was around so much more. I realised we were quite similar, both loyal to the people we cared about, both used to putting others first. Stuff like that.”

He continues, “they’re the kind of things that seem great on paper and were at first I guess. We made this world where it was just us, but that’s not real.”

“No, it’s not. Sadly.”

“So we started hanging out with friends again and I thought it was fine. Everyone has an a honeymoon period, right.”

Clarke nods.

“But then I realised it was only my friends we saw. We never did anything with her friends. When I pushed her on it she said she didn’t have any. I know, red flag right.”

Clarke was thinking it but it doesn’t seem polite to agree.

“I guess it depends,” she says carefully, “I’m not exactly a social butterfly.”

“Nice try. But I know you have friends and even if you didn’t have a huge network I can’t imagine you ditching the people you did have for a relationship.”

“I did.”

“Sure at first, but how long was that.”

“A couple of months.”

He looks at her as if to say, see.

“But that’s because it only lasted a couple of months. Who knows what would’ve happened.” Clarke argues.

He’s clearly still unconvinced, but carries on.

“Either way. Everything was about what I wanted to do. The people I wanted to see. The places I wanted to go. And at first it was great, no one had ever asked me what I wanted before. But it got tired eventually.”

“I bet.”

“Then there was the looming spectre of my sister.”

“Elaborate.” Clarke is leaning back now, legs stretched out in front of her, eyes closed behind her sunglasses as she tilts her face towards the clear blue sky.

“O and I didn’t stop talking because of Echo but she was the final straw.” He sighs sadly.

“You don’t have to go into it. I remember enough.”

He continues as if he never heard her, “there had been some issue between them. Something I never got to the bottom of. And O couldn’t get past it, couldn’t let it go but wouldn’t tell me what it was. In the end I gave up. Figured she was playing games and stopped asking. But when I started hanging out with Echo, not even dating her, Octavia lost her mind.”

“What did Echo tell you?”

“Just that Octavia didn’t like her.”

Clarke has always thought she had a good poker face but apparently not when it comes to Bellamy Blake.

“What?”

“What what?” She fires back, opening one eye and looking up at him.

“You know don’t you? You know what happened.”

“I-“ she pauses.

“Clarke, come on.”

“Why did you and Echo break up?” Clarke asks instead, sitting up again.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“It’s relevant, maybe.”

He pauses considering her then seems to make up his mind, “The things that worked at first, trust, loyalty, they became suffocating. She would never argue with me. Always seemed to take my side but then didn’t really. Would claim she trusted my decision but then go behind my back and do something else.”

After a beat he adds, “I thought I was going mad.”

Clarke is silent for a bit, thinking, deciding if she wants to open up this particular can of worms. One that isn’t even really hers to begin with. It’s Bellamy that makes the decision for her, she glances at him and he looks so lost and alone that she doesn’t think she has a choice.

“Do you remember that gym Octavia worked at?”

“The women-only one?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure. She said the boss was a tyrant and she quit.”

“Echo got her fired.”

“What the fuck?”

“Remember this is only one side, Octavia’s side.” Clarke counters.

He nods, jaw clenched.

“Apparently this woman Ontari had an issue with the way Octavia trained her. She went to management and they supported your sister. Said she was one of their best.”

“So?” Bellamy asks impatiently.

“Ontari got a different trainer and Octavia started training Echo.”

Bellamy looks confused but Clarke continues.

“It was fine for a few weeks. Octavia didn’t like her but said she was strong, a hard worker. Then one day Echo filed a complaint. Said Octavia had been harassing her. They couldn’t prove anything but Ontari agreed and said she’d go on record if they didn’t do anything about it. So they quietly fired your sister.”

“That makes no sense.”

“I know. That’s what I thought at first but one night I was out with Lexa and we saw Echo and Ontari and with them was a woman called Nia. At the time, I had no idea who they were but Lexa knew Nia, they worked at the same model agency. Apparently Nia was the best in the business and a stone cold bitch. And Ontari was her favourite.”

“That doesn’t mean anything.” He says weakly.

“Lexa did some digging, quietly, privately. But she didn’t even need to try and find anything out. They were boasting about getting your sister fired and not only that, Nia had said that anywhere that hired Octavia was on a blacklist for her girls. Meaning no models, or any of their huge numbers of Instagram followers, would go to the gym.”

“Ontari and Nia were responsible sure. But Echo took the kill shot.” Clarke adds finally.

Clarke looks at Bellamy who is staring at the ground, his jaw clenched. She looks down and sees his hand curling into a fist at his side. Without thinking she places her hand over his.

“I’m sorry.”

“What on earth are you sorry for?” He says harshly, turning to look at her.

Clarke swallows down her hurt at his tone, it’s not about her.

“I shouldn’t have pressed you. I shouldn’t have told you.” She says weakly.

“Clarke,” he sighs, “I’m not pissed at you. I’m pissed at my sister for not telling me. I’m pissed at Echo for a thousand things. And mostly I’m pissed myself. But not you.”

He unclenches his fist and flips it over holding her hand loosely, almost without thinking.

Clarke ignores the flutter in her stomach and files it away for later. Now is not the time.

“Don’t be mad at yourself. If they didn’t want you to know, which Octavia didn’t, there’s no way you’d have found out.”

“Still.”

“I’m serious Bellamy. This is not on you.”

He doesn’t say anything and she squeezes his hand lightly.

“We should’ve gone straight to the bar, this feels like a conversation you should’ve had a drink for.” She smiles, trying to lighten his mood.

“It’ll take more than a drink.”

“We can go now?” Clarke offers.

“I think I’m just gonna head home.” He replies, not looking at her.

He moves his hand from under hers and runs both hands over his face. Clarke can’t help but miss the warmth of his hand.

“You sure?” She asks, “I feel like I’ve just dropped a bomb on you and am now walking away.”

“Technically we’re both walking away,” he tries teasingly but it falls flat.

He stands and brushes himself off, offering his hand to Clarke to help her up but she gets up on her own.

They walk out of the park together, their low mood at odds with everyone else enjoying the sunshine.

“I’m this way.” Bellamy says when they get to the street.

“I’m this way.” Clarke says pointing in the other direction.

“Ok. Well, bye.” He shrugs awkwardly.

“Give me your phone,” Clarke demands holding out her hand, “come on.”

Bellamy reaches into his pocket and gets his phone and hands it over to her.

“You’re a terrible thief. I know where you live.” He snarks.

Clarke’s pleased that he’s teasing but doesn’t show it, instead she rolls her eyes, “I’m not stealing from you, dummy. I’m giving you my number.”

She taps in her number and hands his phone back.

“If you need someone to talk to or you change your mind about that drink.” She shrugs, swallowing down her embarrassment. There’s no reason to be embarrassed, she tells herself. She’s just being a friend. She’d do the same for any friend.

“Thanks Clarke.” He says softly, taking back his phone.

“The least I can do.” She replies. “Bye Bellamy.”

“See ya.”

Clarke is just getting into her apartment when her phone vibrates. She ignores it too busy taking out her headphones, dumping her bag and sighing the deep sigh of someone who has stepped back into an air conditioned home.

She fishes her phone out of her back pocket as she kicks off her shoes. She glances down and sees it’s an unknown number and tells herself to calm down, it’s probably just McCreary’s Pizza again. Her traitorous heart ignores her head and beats it’s own lively rhythm as she swipes to open the message.

_Thank you for today. I owe you a drink and a shoulder to freak out on. BB_

She replies instantly.

_You didn’t freak out. But I’ll never say no to a free drink._

He obviously has his phone out because the ellipses that signify he’s typing pop up right away.

_I was definitely freaking out, good to know I’m cooler than I thought though._

_You’re definitely not._

She fires back thinking of saying the same thing to him hours earlier.

He’s obviously thinking the same thing because he responds.

_So you keep telling me._

Clarke could leave it. She should leave it. It doesn’t need a response. She drops her phone on the couch and heads to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Wine in hand she heads to the couch grabbing her phone so she can order dinner. Absolutely no other reason she lies to herself.

_Maybe you should listen to me then. I am very wise._

_So you say. I want independent verification._

He replies instantly. And just like that Clarke’s evening becomes punctuated by texts from Bellamy.

**Eight and a half months after | Two-suns rooftop bar, Park Slope**

“Sorry about this.” Wells sighs.

“Honestly it’s fine.” Clarke grins. “I have a drink, I’m good I swear.”

“I can’t believe I invite you over for dinner and then don’t even have my keys.” Wells groans.

Clarke laughs. And pats his head lightly where he’s dropped it on the table.

Wells and Maya bought a gorgeous, light-filled Brooklyn Brownstone last year, which they’re in the process of renovating. Although his father is insanely wealthy, and Wells earns well as a lawyer, they’ve wanted to do as much as they can themselves. Which means going room by room. Tonight Clarke was meant to go over to celebrate the new kitchen, except Wells left his keys on his desk and Maya is working late so they were locked out.

Which is how they’ve found themselves drinking at this local bar.

“Why have we not been here before? This place is great.” Clarke smiles, looking out around the rooftop over Prospect Park.

It’s still warm, but thankfully the heat isn’t as oppressive as it has been.

“I don’t know.” Wells shrugs, “Maya and I have been so busy with work, the house, planning the wedding we just haven’t really explored.”

“Yeah, I’m exhausted just listening to that list. I’m not surprised you’re not partying it up.”

“How are things with you anyway? I feel like I’ve hardly seen you all summer.”

“You didn’t miss much. I’m just sad we couldn’t coordinate our weeks at the beach. One week alone with my mother and Marcus was about six days too long.”

“I’ll bet. We saw them at the club and poor Maya had to sit through an hour of the Kane, Jaha glory days when they ran the local council.”

“And she still wants to marry you. Impressive.”

Wells is filling Clarke in on his latest case, when he pauses and grins. Waving at someone behind her.

Clarke turns expecting to see Maya and feels her stomach jolt when it isn’t Maya but Bellamy instead.

She hasn’t seen him for a few weeks. After they bumped into each other in Grounders (and she accidentally confessed his sister’s drama to him) they haven’t actually seen each other. He went away for a week. Then she did. She was on deadline. He was getting everything ready for the new semester.

But they’ve messaged every day. And it’s often been the highlight of Clarke’s day.

She had thought that they were just messages and that the little jolt she felt when she saw his name appear or he sent something funny was just because it’s been so long since she had someone new in her life. Even as she was telling herself it wasn’t a crush, she’d been willing it to go away, half-hoping it was just because she was bored in the heat.

But the over the last week their messages have taken on a different tone, a tone she doesn’t think is just from her. They’ve both been mentioning cashing in that delayed drink, but haven’t managed to make a plan yet.

And now, here he is. In a grey collarless shirt that stands out against his skin, which looks more tanned then when she saw him last. His hair looks shorter than it was and he’s wearing round frame glasses, which Clarke hadn’t known was a thing he did.

He spots them and half frowns before grinning and coming over to them. If Clarke hadn’t been looking for his reaction she wouldn’t have seen the frown but she did and while it doesn’t stop the fluttering in her stomach it does quiet it.

“Hey!” Wells grins, “This is a coincidence.”

“Not really,” Bellamy smiles back and fishes in his pocket, lifting out a set of keys and holding them up, “Maya sent me.”

At Wells confused look Bellamy adds, “she said she’d messaged you.”

“Ah, maybe. I’ve been complaining to Clarke so didn’t see my phone.” Wells digs out his phone and grimaces at his messages.

“Oops.” He holds up his phone screen to show Clarke that’s full of notifications.

“You’re useless.” Clarke smiles fondly.

“Got a voicemail from my dad too, let me just check it’s nothing bad.” Wells says swivelling away from them slightly, “it’s probably about wedding stuff but I should make sure.”

“Hey,” Bellamy smiles at Clarke. He’s leaning on the table his arm almost brushing hers.

“Hey,” she smiles back, “it was good of you to bring the keys.”

“Maya was panicking, she’s got a welcome tutorial and I was done for the day.” Bellamy shrugs, not quite meeting her eyes, before he can say anything else Wells turns back to them with a loud sigh, “Don’t get married, your parents will lose the plot.”

“Ha, that’s not exactly on the cards.” Clarke replies, ignoring how Bellamy glances down at her.

“Probably for the best, your mom would be the worst.” Wells carries on.

Clarke laughs, because it’s true. Her mother would be involved to say the least.

“Bellamy, what can I get you?” Wells asks, referring to his and Clarke’s empty glasses.

“Oh no I’m good.”

“No, let me get you something. It’s the least I can do to thank you for dropping off the keys.”

“It’s fine. I’m not too far from here anyway.”

“Please, let me get you something.”

“He will be unbearable if you don’t give in. He literally argues with people for a living.” Clarke teases looking up at Bellamy.

“Uhh,” he looks down at his watch, “I guess I’ve got time for a quick beer but I’ve got to meet someone in about twenty minutes.”

“Perfect. Any preference?”

“Whatever pale ale is on tap.”

“Clarke?” Wells asks, “same again.”

She nods.

“So how was your project? Did you get it done?” Bellamy asks when it’s just the two of them.

It’s as unsubtle a subject change as she thinks she’s ever heard, especially because he knows it’s done. They were messaging about it a couple of days ago, he made some comment about how she might have time for him now.

“Yep. All done. The client seems happy with it, which is good.”

He nods.

“How’s the first week back? Got any awful students yet?” She asks.

“Too soon to tell really.” He shrugs.

The silence hangs between them for the first time in months and Clarke isn’t sure why.

They’re making small talk when Wells gets back and Clarke wants to crawl into a hole and stay there.

She knows that something is off but doesn’t know what. Just that this isn’t them. On text and even before that they’ve always been able to chat easily, tonight it feels like they’re having to fight to find every word.

“Honestly man, so good of you to drop these by. I promised Clarke a home cooked meal and then couldn’t get in!” Wells laughs.

“Like I said, it’s really fine. I live nearby.” Bellamy demurs.

“Well it’s most appreciated.” Wells continues.

Clarke rolls her eyes, “he gets it.”

“Just being nice Griffin. You might want to try it.”

“Watch it Jaha or you might not have wedding invitations.” Clarke teases.

“How did you know?” Wells exclaims.

Clarke laughs, “a woman never reveals her secrets.” After a beat she adds, “Maya sent me a message earlier, she thought you’d already asked.”

Bellamy looks between the two of them confused, so Clarke explains.

“Wells invited me over, in part to see his new kitchen, but also to ask if I’d design their wedding invites. He just forgot to tell Maya that the dinner was to ask me not to thank me for saying yes.”

“No such thing as a free dinner, right?” Bellamy laughs.

Clarke looks at him and grins, their eyes meet and for the first time all night she doesn’t feel like she’s imagined the previous connection between them.

“Does this mean you will?” Wells asks.

Clarke turns to look at him, “of course! I assume this gets me out of any wedding party duties.”

“Thank you Clarke.” Wells says sincerely, getting off his stool and giving her a strong hug. “And absolutely not. Someone has to deal with my dad.” He adds with a grin.

“How is the new kitchen?” Bellamy asks, seeming genuinely interested, Wells pulls away from Clarke and sighs, "Well."

Wells tells him about the remodel. They’re discussing the particular tiles that Maya insisted on when Bellamy stops and says, “sorry that’s my phone.”

He pulls it out of his pocket and glances down at the screen, “sorry I should get this.”

As he lifts it to his ear Clarke sees the name clearly on the screen. Echo.

He walks off to the other side of the bar to take the call and she can’t hear what’s being said. She glances over briefly but he has his back to them so she focuses on Wells asking him what culinary feats he’s making for her later.

“Sorry about that?” Bellamy comes back.

“Everything ok?” Clarke asks, keeping her voice light.

“Yeah. I should be heading off though.”

“Of course. We’ll head out with you, then I can actually make Clarke dinner and show her my sales pitch for the invites.”

“You don’t need to pitch to me when I’ve already agreed.”

“I had a speech Clarke!” He splutters full of faux indignation.

“I’m sad to miss it.” Bellamy laughs.

“Ha, we can swap! I’ll do drinks and you can hear the speech.” Clarke laughs.

“Trust me, that’s tempting.” Bellamy sighs.

“Blind date?” Wells asks.

“Don’t be so nosy!” Clarke admonishes, privately hoping Bellamy will answer.

“What makes you think that?” He asks ignoring Clarke.

“You don’t seem all that excited to go but you’re not cancelling. So it’s either a blind date or someone you have an obligation to, like family.”

“Shit. I can see why you make the big bucks.” Bellamy laughs hollowly.

Wells shrugs, “I’m used to picking up on cues.”

They’re in the elevator now and Clarke is in one corner with Bellamy in the opposite and Wells on the wall next to him.

“I’m meeting up with my ex. So none of the above and all of the above I guess.”

Clarke’s glad that she’s in the corner and neither of them is looking at her. She’s not confident in her poker face right now.

“Ah, sorry for prying.” Wells says sheepishly.

“Nah, you’re good.”

The elevator doors open saving them from having to find further conversation.

Bellamy gets out first and Clarke glares at Wells as if to say ‘what did you say that for’ he shrugs sheepishly.

“We’re this way.” Wells says.

“I’m going the other way.” Bellamy replies.

Clarke isn’t sure she believes him but she doesn’t blame him for saying so.

“Night, thanks again for the keys.” Wells says holding out his hand.

Bellamy shakes it, “Honestly it was nothing.”

Bellamy looks at Clarke like he wants to say something but she gives him an awkward half wave and he just nods in response.

“Night.”

“Bye.” Clarke says, before adding, “I hope tonight goes the way you want it to.”

Bellamy looks slightly pained but gives her a small smile.

“Bye,” he says to the both of them before turning and walking away.

Clarke and Wells head in the opposite direction.

“Do we need to talk about whatever that was?” Wells asks softly.

Clarke shakes her head.

He turns his head and fixes her with a look as they walk. She might not have said anything but like Wells said, he’s good at picking up cues, plus he’s been her best friend since before they could walk. She could have the strongest poker face in the world and Wells would see past it.

“Not today. Maybe one day soon but not tonight.” She sighs, when he doesn’t stop frowning at her she adds, “I’m ok Wells I promise.”

He nods and squeezes her shoulder gently.

“So the message from my father was that he wants my uncle Pike - you know the one who’s not actually my uncle - to officiate the wedding. He’s apparently a pastor now. He found god or something, which is interesting because I thought he was a geography teacher.” Wells says lightly.

He carries the conversation all the way home, with Clarke only half listening. Instead trying to take her mind off Bellamy going off for drinks with his maybe-ex.

**Ten months after | Ice Nation bar, TriBeCa**

“This is very strange.” Clarke remarks, reaching up to kiss her friend Roan on the cheek when he comes out of his office building where she’s waiting for him before they head to the bar.

“Why?”

“You don’t date. You definitely don’t date seriously enough that you want me to meet them.”

He frowns at her but doesn’t dispute it. Clarke smiles and follows him down the street.

Roan is one of those people that fit in a few places in her life. She always thinks of him as a work friend because that was where they first met properly. It was a couple of years ago when she was freelancing at a big ad agency and he was the lead strategist on the account she was on. It took them two months of bickering to have a proper conversation and once they did they realised they knew a lot of the same people. Including his awful mother, Nia, who made Clarke’s mother seem like a saint. She’s never told Roan the details of how she knew Nia, just that it was through Lexa but she knows he wouldn’t be surprised at the stories she'd heard.

Clarke left the agency after about nine months assuming she would never see any of those people again. But somehow Roan stuck.

They’re not exactly close but, like Wells, he’s one of the few people she considers hers. Even though Roan knew Lexa, he never took sides, never even mentioned it really. He’s her friend. Albeit one she only sees every few months to drink too much and complain about life.

“If I didn’t want you to meet her would I have invited you?” He counters.

“Truly, I can never tell with you.”

He rolls his eye but continues like he hasn’t heard her.

“She wanted to meet some of my friends”

“Aww and you had so few you had to invite me.” Clarke interrupts smirking.

“I thought you’d get along, actually. She’s closer to your age than mine.”

“Cradle robber.”

Clarke grins as he ignores her. She doesn’t know what it is about Roan that makes her act like a bratty little sister but she can’t help it.

“Ok. I’ll be nice. So remind me, this is the one you met a couple of months ago, right?”

“Yep. We met at the start of the summer. We were the only other people on the platform-“

Clarke frowns, “you never take the subway.”

“It was the Lyft strike and my driver couldn’t get through.”

Clarke smirks, “continue.”

“So, as I was saying we were the only other people on the platform and she was hot so I kept looking over, obviously. But I didn’t want to be creepy.”

“Too late for that.”

“Anyway, she said ‘Just because my leg is in a brace doesn’t mean I couldn’t destroy you’.”

“And you were hooked obviously.” Clarke teases.

“Something like that. Anyway, we’ve been on a few dates, hooked up over the summer and I like her.”

“Awww.”

“Shut up.”

“Oh my god, you’re blushing. You actually do like her.” Clarke crows.

“Just down here.” Roan says his hand on her back as he manoeuvres her to a bar with a green and white striped awning.

“So is she bringing her friends? Or is this like a strange threesome thing because I’m flattered but...”

“Very funny. Yes she’s bringing someone.”

“It’s not some awkward double date is it?”

“No, she was meeting a couple of friends anyway so we could merge plans.”

“Ahh ok.” Clarke says vaguely, not really paying attention rooting in her bag for a lip balm.

“Ah great, looks like they’ve got a seat outside. There’s Raven.” Roan smiles.

Clarke pauses but can’t stop because Roan is striding ahead of her and giving his name to the server. She catches up to hear him saying he sees his friends.

“Did you say Raven?” Clarke asks, but it’s too late, she can see them now. There’s Raven looking exactly as gorgeous as ever and next to her, sunglasses shading her from the evening sun and her hair pulled up in an elaborate braid is a woman Clarke has never spoken to but knows a lot about. Echo.

“Yeah, why?” Roan asks.

“We know each other, kinda.” Clarke says just as they draw close.

“Hey,” Roan smiles softly at Raven leaning down to kiss her.

“Hey.” Raven responds distractedly.

“So apparently introductions aren’t necessary.” Roan laughs, taking the seat next to Raven and pulling Clarke’s seat out for her.

“Hey Clarke, how are you?”

“Surprised mostly.” Clarke laughs.

“Likewise.” Raven replies cracking a smile that doesn’t meet her eyes.

“I’m Roan.” He smiles offering his hand to Echo.

“Don’t you know each other?” Clarke asks before she can stop herself.

“No. Why would we?” Roan asks, but Clarke can see by the slight pursing of Echo’s lips that she knows.

“I believe Echo knows your mother.” Clarke says carefully.

“You have my condolences.” Roan grins.

He leans over to pick the white wine out of the cooler, “Is this good? Shall we get another?”

Raven nods.

“I didn’t realise you knew each other.” Raven is saying looking between Echo and Clarke.

“We don’t.” Echo replies coolly.

“We have some people in common.” Clarke says, “my ex mostly.”

“You know Lexa?” Roan asks Echo.

“Yeah.”

“God, Manhattan is so tiny.” He sighs, signalling to the waiter to get another bottle of wine.

Clarke thinks about adding a comment about the Blake siblings but they’re already at a high level of awkwardness, and Roan does actually like Raven. And Clarke does actually want her friend to be happy. So instead she remembers her years of being dragged to every boring hospital function under the sun and becomes the best (most polite) version of herself.

“Isn’t it,” Clarke smiles, “that’s why I live in Brooklyn.”

“You live in Brooklyn to piss off your mother.” Roan retaliates.

“Two things can be true,” Clarke grins at him, before turning to Raven, “so it’s been literal years, what are you up to?”

The small talk carries them through and Clarke is happy to let Raven and Roan lead the conversation. The spark between them is obvious and she finds, to her surprise, that she’s happy for both of them.

She begs out after the second bottle of wine, claiming that she has to get back (true) and that she has a busy day tomorrow (very not true).

Clarke hugs her goodbyes, even Echo who she couldn’t get a read on, and makes her way to the express train. She’s not sure if it’s seeing Echo or if seeing Echo just gave her a license to think about him but she can’t get Bellamy out of her thoughts.

They haven’t spoken since that night he gave Wells the keys. Bellamy did message her a couple of days later saying it’s a shame he hadn’t been able to stay longer but she didn’t know what to say so she’d replied with some simple message about Wells’ new place. Bellamy had followed up but Clarke let it fizzle out. She has opened her messages countless times since then but always chickens out of sending anything. Yet tonight, slightly buzzed (thank you Roan) and having actually met Echo she types out a message and sends without thinking.

_So apparently my friend Roan, is going out with Raven_  
_I just found out because I went for drinks with them…_  
_Plus your ex(?) who was there too_  
_I mean Echo in case that wasn’t clear_

Clarke doesn’t know his teaching schedule so isn’t sure how quickly to expect a reply, but the ellipsis pop up almost instantly. They keep popping up and disappearing and before she can read his response she loses service.

She wonders if she’s gone too far with the ex question mark, but for all she knows they’re back together. He didn’t exactly tell Clarke why he was seeing Echo last time they met.

When she has service again she has one new, surprisingly short, message.

_I have so many questions_

There is a version of Clarke that makes life easier for her friends, but it’s not the mostly tipsy version of her that’s just spent an evening with Bellamy’s glamazon maybe-ex girlfriend.

_And yet, you have asked none_

She can lean into being a dick this one time.

The ellipses pop up again before quickly disappearing. She’s half expecting him to not reply. She’s not expecting the phone to ring.

“Bellamy?”

“This felt like a non-text conversation” He answers.

“Right. Just to warn you, I’m on the express train with shitty service. So if I lose you-“ Clarke says right as her signal drops out.

She refreshes her phone and even goes to settings to see if she can piggy-back off of anyone’s wifi but she can’t. Clarke figures she warned him. Bellamy’s smart he’ll work it out.

When Clarke gets out of the station the night is beginning to roll into the city. She once read an article about the twilight hours, how the it’s half-light before it gets really dark that is the most dangerous time for women. She doesn’t know if it’s true but it stuck with her so she puts in her headphones, without music, and puts her phone in her pocket. It’s only five minutes back to her place, she reasons, she can call Bellamy back then.

The journey back takes about ten minutes due to an impromptu detour to the bodega for chips. She’s had no call from Bellamy, not even a message. Clarke is trying not to take it personally, but it feels personal. She tells herself, on the walk from the bodega to her apartment, that he probably called Echo for the full story and it’s not like she cared anyway.

That line of thinking lasts until she rounds onto her block and there, right in front of her, sitting on the stoop is Bellamy Blake.

She takes out one ear bud and calls out, “Dude in some states this is considered stalking.”

“I brought beer,” he says holding up a six-pack.

“In that case, come on in.” Clarke grins feigning a confidence she does not feel.

He stands up as she reaches him, about a head taller than her, which is not something she’s really thought about before (and tells herself she’s not thinking about it now).

“It felt like an in-person conversation,” he says.

Clarke doesn’t know if that’s good or bad so just shrugs. He follows her up the steps watching as she roots in her bag for her keys.

“Here hold these.” She says shoving her bodega spoils, two family sized bags of Cheetos, at him.

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“That is by definition asking.” She replies, shaking her bag hoping she can hear her keys. He laughs softly and she carries on, “I needed food. Rich people are good on the drinking, not so much the carb-loading.”

“Ah ha!” Clarke exclaims before Bellamy can say anything. She grabs her keys and opens her door.

“You know that was a worrying amount of time to find your keys,” he says coming into the apartment behind her.

“Normally I have them in my hand, but I was distracted by chips.”

“Not filling me with confidence there.”

“Not trying to.” She replies airily.

Clarke kicks of her shoes, “I’m just gonna change, I feel all gross from being in the city.” She tells him motioning to the door on her left. “You know where everything is, I’ll be out in a second.”

Clarke ducks into her bedroom and closes the door. As she pulls off her jeans and changes into yoga pants and a light jumper, she tries to give herself a silent pep talk. Reminding herself that they’re just friends, Bellamy is probably back with his ex and even if he isn’t that doesn’t mean anything will happen. And if she checks her hair and gives her breasts a quick boost in her bra before she leaves her room no one will ever know.

When she goes out into her sitting room Bellamy is on the couch where she saw him ten months ago, this time looking less like a shell of a human and more like a man who belongs. She pushes that thought out of her mind quickly.

“I thought you said there was beer.”

Bellamy looks back over his shoulder and smiles softly at her, “way ahead of you.” He holds up the bottle of beer in his hand and points to one on the table for her.

Clarke walks over and sits at the other edge of the sofa to him, keenly aware that her couch is a small two-seater and that even with him at one end at her at the other, there’s not much space between them.

“So,” She starts picking up her beer.

“So,” He replies, taking a swig of his drink.

When it becomes clear that he’s not going to say anything, Clarke raises one eyebrow at him. He’s the one that came to her house, he’s the one that can start this conversation. She’s saying nothing until she knows what his side is.

“You saw Echo.”

Clarke nods.

“And Raven.”

“Yeah, Manhattan is an insanely small island sometimes. It turns out my friend Roan met Raven on a subway platform-”

“Seriously?” Bellamy interrupts.

“I know right. Only Roan, trust me.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He says with a smile.

“He really likes Raven so wanted to introduce her to his friends. I think I was the least terrifying option. Or his only friend, I’m not sure.”

“And Echo was Raven’s.”

Clarke nods.

“Are you and Raven still close?” She’s gone from not wanting to make it easy on him to not wanting to know. She doesn’t want to let the outside in, tonight feels momentous somehow. She doesn’t know in what way, but there’s a bubbling feeling she can’t ignore that says tonight will change things.

Bellamy looks a little confused, surprised that Clarke didn’t take the Echo line of conversation he had offered.

“You haven’t mentioned her much, and we didn’t exactly talk about you tonight. It was mostly teasing Roan, and he and I offering up stories of our crazy families.” Clarke continues. She doesn’t want to talk about Echo yet. It feels like they’re in a little bubble again, just the two of them, and Clarke doesn’t want to let anything else in. Not yet.

“We’re still friends,” he offers, “but not like we were.”

“Right.”

“She didn’t pick Echo, no one did really, but it wasn’t exactly a her or me situation. It was more of a me removing myself from things situation.” Bellamy explains, before adding, “I’ve seen her a bit more recently.”

Clarke wouldn’t say she’d been braced for him to announce he was back with Echo, but she assumed he would do it in a more obvious way. But, she’s not going to make a big deal of it, they’re not really friends he’ll tell her if she wants.

She barrels on with the Raven conversation, it’s easier than thinking about anything else.

“Well, she seems good for Roan. He needs someone who can put up with his bravado and rich kid bullshit.”

“She’ll definitely do that. I’m surprised, it’s the first person she’s really dated since Shaw.”

At Clarke’s blank look he elaborates.

“Shaw was Raven’s ex. He was an airforce pilot and he died in a motorcycle crash about two-years-ago. She was on the back of the bike with him, it’s how she hurt her leg.”

“Oh how awful, I had no idea.”

“You wouldn’t.” he shrugs gently, “It’s why I’ve been back in touch with her recently, she held a memorial for him with some of his airforce buddies.”

“That must have been hard, for all of you.” Clarke says carefully.

“Honestly, it just made me realise what an asshole I am.” Bellamy sighs.

“You’re not,” He fixes her with a look, “ok you might be, but I need context.”

Bellamy huffs out a laugh, “my first thought when she called me to ask if I’d be there wasn’t how tough it would be for her, but if Echo would be there.”

“Definitely asshole adjacent but normal,” Clarke smiles nudging Bellamy’s leg with her foot.

“That’s why Echo and I met the other month, to make sure we could make it through the memorial and drinks without making it all about us.” Bellamy shifts on the couch angling his body towards Clarke.

“Oh, right, that makes sense.” Clarke replies, amazed her voice stays level.

“I mean, in case you were wondering why I met up with her.”

“Nope. Your life, your business.” She shrugs, pointedly not looking at him.

“Really? Because you kind of disappeared on me after that.”

“Just busy, you know how it is.” Clarke says lamely, taking a swig from her mostly empty drink.

“You sure?”

Clarke nods.

“It kinda seemed like you were avoiding me? Like maybe you thought I was back with Echo and didn’t want to be friends anymore.”

“Nope. You good for a drink? I’m going to get another.” Clarke trills, suddenly feeling very sober. As she swings her legs to stand, Bellamy puts his hand lightly on her wrist.

“Clarke,” he says, stopping her in her seat, “are you sure? Because, I was kinda working up the courage to ask you for that drink. I was giving myself enough credit that we could skip the brunch-date option and just go straight to drinks. And then you disappeared.”

Clarke looks down at where his hand is still resting lightly on her wrist, his thumb toying with the end of her sleeve.

“And, well, if you don’t want that drink that’s cool but I would still like to be friends. I’m not sure I’d have coped half as well without you as my friend this year.”

“You would.” Clarke says quietly but fiercely.

“Missing the point there Griffin.”

Clarke looks at him then, at then raw honesty shining in his eyes, at the intentionally guarded expression on his face and in that moment she makes up her mind. She looks at the floor before she speaks.

“I was jealous, and a bit scared that you were back with Echo and wouldn’t want to hang out anymore so I ditched you before you could ditch me.” Clarke says after a beat.

“Offence being the best defence and all that.” Bellamy teases.

Clarke glances back at him, at the warmth in his voice and feels almost overwhelmed with how softly he’s looking at her.

“It’s practically the Griffin family code.”

“Good to know.” He chuckles. “So, now we’ve established I’m not back with Echo, have no desire to get back together with Echo. Can I please take you for a drink?”

“Technically, you already bought me a drink.” Clarke smiles, placing her empty beer can on the table before turning to Bellamy.

“Is that right?” He laughs softly.

“It’s good enough for me.”

She scoots closer to him on the couch, her hand resting lightly on his jean-clad thigh.

“If it’s good enough for you.”

“It’s a good place to start.” He grins leaning forward and capturing her mouth with his. Clarke can feel the smile on his lips and leans into him, reaching up to kiss him back, her hands playing with the hair on his neck.

**Eleven and half months after | The Dropship, Soho**

“They weren’t actually bad,” Clarke says surprised.

“Trust me I’m as surprised as you were,” Bellamy grins down at her as she tucks into his side.

“Yeah, usually when a student asks us to come to something I refuse but I’m glad we made the exception for this.” Maya smiles.

“I hated it, but that’s more me than them.” Wells says.

“Pay up.” Clarke crows at Maya and Bellamy.

“What did I miss?” Wells asks bemused.

“I said you’d hate it, you haven’t listened to any new musical since 2005.” Clarke grins holding out her hand for the tens that Maya and Bellamy hand over.

“You thought I’d like this?” Wells asks Maya, “You’re meant to be marrying me, knowing all my deepest darkest secrets etcetra.”

“Oh no, I knew you’d hate it. You only listen to classical music and the one album you had in your car at college.”

“Clarke’s Car Classics. You’re welcome.” Clarke interjects gleefully.

“But I thought you’d be polite enough not to say you hated it until we’d at least left the venue.” Maya finishes.

“That’s fair.” Wells smiles, scooping Maya in a hug, “I forgive you.”

“Oh good, I was worried.” She deadpans, before leaning in for a kiss.

“Ok, ok, break it up this is a family establishment.” Clarke teases.

“It’s not.” Wells replies, breaking away from Maya but still keeping her tucked under his arm, “and if it was you two are ones to talk. Have you left each others side all night?”

“Yes!” Clarke exclaims, but her point is undermined by the arm she has tightly clasped around Bellamy’s waist and the way he’s holding her close to him. Not to mention the way he shakes his head.

“Leave them alone. It’s cute. I remember being the first months with someone, it’s all sex and lazy lunches, not china patterns and lunches with the in-laws,” Maya sighs whistfully.

“Charming.” Wells scoffs as Bellamy and Clarke laugh.

“You know what I mean. Both are equally brilliant, but there’s something about that first flush of a new relationship. I bet they’re not working out how to make a cross country Christmas trip.”

“Food?” Bellamy suggests.

“Good plan,” Wells agrees, “shall we go to that Taco place. You know the one.”

“I do know the one.” Maya agrees, “Work for you guys?”

Bellamy and Clarke nod.

“So are you doing the cross country thing then?” Clarke asks as they’re walking to the restaurant.

“Yeah, everyone wants to see us before the wedding, which is ridiculous because it’s still six months away.” Wells sighs.

“Five.” Maya adds. “That reminds me, we’re giving you separate invitations but no plus ones. That cool?”

“You know I’m making them, I could give myself a thousand plus ones if I wanted.” Clarke says thoughtfully, her eyes glinting with mischief.

“You could, but you won’t because you’re a good friend.” Maya replies.

“Speaking of good friends, or not in this case, did you hear that Wallace is applying for tenure,” Maya says to Bellamy.

“You have got to be kidding me.” He replies incredulously.

The two of them fall into step discussing work as Clarke and Wells follow behind.

“Nice dodge, back there.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Clarke replies loftily.

“Have you not discussed long term?”

“We have and we haven’t.”

Wells nudges Clarke with her shoulder and she continues, “It’s great, he’s great. But he broke up with his ex less than a year ago and they were together for a long time.”

“So?”

“So, I could be a rebound, or a fling.” Clarke says quietly lowering her voice. Wells opens his mouth to interrupt but Clarke carries on, “or it might just not work.”

“That’s true of anything.”

“I know, I’m just nervous I guess.”

Wells flings his arm over Clarke’s shoulders, “I’ve seen how he looks at you, trust me you’re good.”

“You have to say that you’re my best friend.” Clarke grins, but she nudges him with her hip to say thanks.

“Why have they stopped?” Clarke asks looking ahead to where Maya and Bellamy have stopped on the sidewalk a block before the restaurant.

“It’s looks like they’re talking to some people, probably students from the gig.” Wells says, looking over the people between them, “Come on lets go rescue them.”

He drops his arm from Clarke’s shoulders and strides ahead. She follows him and before they even get close enough to see who it is Clarke knows from the set of Bellamy’s shoulders, that they aren’t talking to students.

She somehow isn’t surprised to see Echo and Raven and a third girl she doesn’t recognise.

Wells goes to the side of Maya with a big welcoming grin, in classic Wells fashion. Clarke slots next to Bellamy leaving a bit of space between them, waiting to see what he does.

“This is Wells, Maya’s fiancé and you know Clarke.” Bellamy says.

“Hey Clarke,” Raven smiles.

“Hey Raven.”

“What are you guys doing this side of the bridge on a weekend?” Echo asks, it’s clear that she’s aiming for friendly but Clarke doesn’t quite think it lands.

“We went to a gig of one of our students,” Maya answers.

“It was actually surprisingly good.” Clarke adds.

There’s an awkward pause, broken only when Raven asks, “Clarke? You going to Roan’s family New Year’s party?”

“Not if I can find literally any other reason not to,” Clarke grins, “why are you?”

“Yeah, Roan lured me there on the promise of free booze.”

“Oh there is definitely that. Nia would die before anyone accused her of being cheap.” Clarke laughs.

“I think he thought you’d be there, said he was looking forward to quizzing your new guy.”

Clarke thinks she’s imaging the change of mood, is sure she’s imagining the look that Echo gives her and Bellamy. But even so, she makes sure to not give anything away.

“I see the WASP gossip network has been playing telephone again.” Clarke laughs, ignoring the way her insides feel like they’re turning to stone.

“You know nothing is faster than the East Coast line.” Wells jokes, “I grew up next door to Clarke, honestly the amount that lot gossip is crazy.”

“What are you doing for the holidays Bellamy?” Echo interjects moving the conversation away from Clarke and Wells.

“Probably in Portland,” Bellamy says, waiting a beat, before adding, “with my sister.”

Clarke knows she’s not imagining the pointed tone now.

She’s clearly not the only one because Maya takes half a step forward, grabbing Wells hand and says, “We should get going if we want to eat before midnight, nice to see you again Echo, and to meet you guys,” The tone is light but the message is clear.

“You too.” Raven and the blonde smile.

“I’ll give Roan a call about the party.” Clarke smiles at Raven, because she’s nothing if not well brought up, “Bye.”

The two groups go their separate ways and Clarke takes a look at Bellamy, his hands are bunched in his coat pocket and she’s willing to bet his fists are clenched. She can see the beat in his jaw ticking from where it’s clenched.

“Uh guys, I think we’re going to skip dinner,” Clarke says as they get to the restaurant, “I’m not in the mood for tacos.”

Clarke communicates silently with Wells and breathes a sigh of relief when the decades of friendship come through.

“No worries. We’ll give you a call about the holidays,” He says lightly before grabbing her in a hug.

“You ok?” Wells whispers.

Clarke nods as they pull back and hugs Maya as Bellamy and Wells do their bro hug thing.

Clarke is on her phone ordering a car as Maya and Wells go into the restaurant, “The car will be here in a few minutes.”

“That’s going to cost a fortune, lets just take the express since apparently we’re not eating.” He snarks.

“I’m sorry, were you in the mood to sit and play nice over dinner? Because you know where the restaurant is.” Clarke fires back.

“What have I done?”

“Nothing.” Clarke sighs, “Car’s here. You getting in or not?”

“I’ll get the train.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“Whatever Bellamy.” Clarke snaps, getting in the car and slamming the door with more force than necessary. There goes her rating she thinks pathetically, willing the frustrated tears in her eyes not to fall.

Her broiling anger has simmered down now, being stuck in traffic on the bridge will do that to you (turns out Bellamy was right, a car would cost a fortune and take forever if you hit Saturday night traffic). Now she’s just worried and confused. And, if she’s being honest with herself, a little bit sad.

She thinks about messaging him, but Clarke is stubborn to a fault and doesn’t see why she should cave first. Even if she’s sorry. Even if she’s not sure why they’re fighting.

“Are you going to be alright?” The driver asks as he pulls up to the building. Clarke is fumbling in her bag for her keys and looks up at him confused.

He nods to her address and the person leaning in the darkness.

She knows instantly, by the hunch of the shoulders and the way he’s leaning against the wall that’s it’s Bellamy. Clarke lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

Bellamy pushes himself off from the wall he was leaning on as Clarke gets out of the car.

“You were right, the train would’ve been faster.” She mumbles, not quite meeting his eye.

“Yeah, but I bet the car was warmer.”

“Than standing outside in December?" She scoffs, "Yeah, I reckon.”

Clarke searches in her bag for her keys, ignoring Bellamy as he huffs.

“You coming in?” She asks as she unlocks the door.

He doesn’t answer just follows her inside.

Clarke drops her bag in the hallway as Bellamy closes the door behind him.

He reaches out for her and grabs her wrist lightly.

“Clarke...”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers turning towards him.

“Me too. I don’t want to fight with you.” He pulls her in and wraps his arms around her. Clarke clasps her hands tightly behind his back.

“Me neither.”

“Especially when I don’t know why we’re fighting.” He adds.

Clarke pulls back enough to look at him, “you don’t?”

“I assume it has to do with Echo.”

Clarke drops her arms from his back and steps back from him, his arms dropping loosely from around her.

“You assume?”

“Well, we bumped into her and then you stormed off.”

“Oh no no no. You don’t put this on me. We bumped into you ex girlfriend, you didn’t acknowledge me, practically acted like you’re ashamed of me. And then, and only then, I decided I wasn’t hungry”

“Is that what you think?” He asks hurt.

Clarke doesn’t trust herself to speak so she just nods once.

“Clarke, that’s not--. It’s not.” He scrubs his hand over his face.

“Then what?”

Bellamy doesn’t answer.

Clarke turns her back to him and walks through her apartment to the kitchen flicking on lights as she goes.

She pours herself a glass of wine. Holding up the bottle as an invitation to Bellamy.

He shakes his head and comes into the kitchen, reaching past her to grab a beer out of the fridge. Beers that he left in there because he’s been at his place more than hers over the last few weeks.

“Clarke, the reason I didn’t introduce you to Echo as my girlfriend has nothing to do with how I feel about you,” he says leaning back against the counter next to her, “well maybe it does, kind of.”

She tilts her head to look at him, "your girlfriend?" She tries to hide the smile in her words, they've not put a label on anything yet so this is new.

“This time with you has been like something else, something I had forgotten I was allowed to have. I’ve been so happy, you make me so happy and I didn’t want her to intrude on that.”

He’s staring at the floor, idly running his thumb over his beer bottle as he speaks.

“Oh.”

“I know it’s stupid, and I know you probably think I’m an idiot but I just didn’t want her to ruin this before we even know what this is.”

“Bellamy,” Clarke says softly, reaching over and taking the beer bottle out of his hands and putting it on the counter behind him, “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”

She steps in front of him between his outstretched legs and Bellamy’s arms come up to rest loosely on her hips.

“I think we probably need to have the ‘what is this’ talk.”

They haven’t been avoiding it, not really. It was simply more that they were enjoying their time together without putting a label on things. Clarke knew it couldn’t last, she’s too much of a type-A for that, but she’d hope they’d be able to get through the holidays.

“What do you want this to be?” He asks cautiously, his thumb rubbing the skin just under the hem of her t-shirt.

Clarke huffs, “Why do I have to be the one to define it?”

“You don’t. I’m just asking what you want.” He sighs, before adding, “Because I like what we have and would like to keep doing what we’re doing. I'd like to be able to call you my girlfriend and it not be a surprise.”

Clarke nods, but looks down fiddling with the bottom button on his shirt.

“What Clarke?” He asks softly, “talk to me.”

“You and Echo haven’t even been broken up a year yet.” She answers quietly, “I don’t want to be a rebound.”

“Hey,” Bellamy soothes, putting an arm around her as he frees his other hand to tilt her face up to look at him.

“Clarke, you are not a rebound trust me. Yeah, Echo and I haven’t been officially over all that long but we were done long before I could admit it. Seeing her tonight reminded me of that.”

“Yeah?” She asks shyly.

“Yeah, trust me. I want this with you. Just us.”

“I want that too.” Clarke admits.

Bellamy smiles as he leans forward and kisses her slowly.

**Author's Note:**

> **UPDATE:** I have decided that this will now be a one shot. Originally I wanted to have the next chapter with them breaking up and finding their way back but my Bellarke love has gone and along with it all of my inspiration. And so, a one shot. Thank you to all of you that read this, sorry if you were hoping for more but I think it still works as it is. 
> 
>   
I don't know how much Gale/Madge Hunger Games cross over there is with Bellarke but structure of this was inspired by one of my favourite ever fics [After](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8652421/chapters/19841995) by the amazing Hawtsee. 
> 
> I think it's suitably different enough to not cause offence (though obviously tell me if it does). And do read After, it is brilliant.


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